Alejandro Duran Turns Found Plastic Into Colorful Installations

Artist Alejandro Duran collects bits of trash that washes up from locations around the world, transforming them into color-based, site-specific sculptures. Duran aims to create a harsh juxtaposition that draws attention to the global catastrophe of ocean pollution.

He states: “Over the course of this project, I have identified plastic waste from fifty nations on six continents that have washed ashore along the coast of Sian Ka’an. Conflating the hand of man and nature, at times I distribute the objects the way the waves would; at other times, the plastic takes on the shape of algae, roots, rivers, or fruit, reflecting the infiltration of plastics into the natural environment.

More than creating a surreal or fantastical landscape, these installations mirror the reality of our current environmental predicament. The resulting photo series depicts a new form of colonization by consumerism, where even undeveloped land is not safe from the far-reaching impact of our disposable culture.”